MND NewsWire features plain and simple interpretations of industry related data and events written in a manner that maintains the interest of random readers while still catering to the perspective of a housing market professional.

The House of Representatives passed HR 1629 , the STEM Jobs Act of 2012 on Friday afternoon even as opposition to the funding of the measure was getting organized. The bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make up to 55,000 visas available...

The number of state licensed mortgage companies registered with the National Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) decreased by 2.3 percent on an annual basis while the number of individual loan originators increased by a nearly identical amount according...

The maximum dollar limits for conforming mortgage loans will remain unchanged for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in 2013 . The GSEs' conservator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), announced on Thursday that the baseline limit that will apply to most...

Pending home sales rose sharply in October according to the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). The index increased 5.2 percent to 104.8 from 99.6 in September and was 13.2 percent above...

Nearly three-quarters of a million households have refinanced through the Home Affordable Refinancing Program since the program's parameters were changed late last year according to a report released Wednesday by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The...

Three financial services and consumer advocacy groups have joined to send letters to the House and Senate urging them to preserve the temporary tax exemptions for forgiven debt . The Financial Services Roundtable, the Center for Responsible Lending, and...

Edward J. DeMarco , Acting Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency ( FHFA ), told members of the Exchequer Club in Washington, DC on Wednesday that, in contrast to how they are sometimes portrayed, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are playing a leading...

The Federal Housing Finance Agency's Office of Inspector General ( FHFA-OIG ) submitted its fourth semi-annual report to Congress on Wednesday. The Office, which serves as a watchdog over FHFA in its capacity as regulator of the Federal Home Loan Banks...

Sales of new homes dipped slightly in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 368,000 units according to information released this morning from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The October rate is 0.3...

Despite a sizeable increase in consumer debt overall household debt fell by $74 billion in the third quarter of 2012, driven largely by a decrease in mortgage and home equity loan balances . The Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Quarterly Report on Household...

Homeowners appear to be less than savvy shoppers when it comes to finding a mortgage to purchase or refinance their homes. A new study from Fannie Mae suggests that consumers could save money and find a more financially sustainable mortgage if they shopped...

The Federal Housing Finance Agency ( FHFA ) has released its House Price Index (HPI) for August which shows a 0.7 percent increase in prices compared to July. For the 12 months ending in August, U.S. prices rose 4.7 percent. July figures were revised...

Home prices extended their run of increases to six months in September with a 2.1 percent bump in the S&P/Case Shiller 10-City Index and a +3.0 percent change in the 20-City Index. During the third quarter the Composite Index rose 2.2 percent from...

Interthinx reported today that its Mortgage Fraud Risk Index dropped nearly 8 percent in the third quarter of 2012 and is five percent lower than in the third quarter of 2011. Despite a spike in the second quarter the Index is at the lowest point in two...

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